Merchandise display rack



y 7, 1963 o. WERN'EKE MERCHANDISE DISPLAY RACK Filed Mafch 5, 1962 IN VENTOR Laws 0. h/FRNEKE Ll a,

flrramvzrs FIEE United States Patent 3,088,598 MERCHANDISE DISPLAY RACK Louis 0. Werneke, Minneapolis, Minn, assignor to Quik- Riter Products, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Mar. 5, 1962, Ser. No. 177,562 2 Claims. (Cl. 21188) This invention relates to a rack for displaying merchandise and particularly to such a rack adapted for use at the check-out counter area of a super market.

Many super markets have recently found it desirable to provide a check writing stand close to the check-out counter for the convenience of their customers. Such stands provide a convenient support for a merchandise display rack which would be positioned at the most desirable display location in the entire store.

It is an object of this invention to provide a merchandise display rack particularly adapted to be mounted on a check writing stand in a super market or the like, and particularly constructed to minimize the force tending to tip such a stand while providing maximum display space and facilitating attachment of the rack to the stand.

More specifically, it is an object to provide such a dis play rack provided with a cantilever type supporting attachment and providing display areas on both sides of the axis of moment to substantially reduce the bending moment produced by the weight of the goods being dis played.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will more fully appear from the following descrip tion made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the rack as mounted on a check writing stand with a portion of the stand broken away; and

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 1, showing the complete stand top.

A check writing stand is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and includes a top 5, a supporting post 6 to which the top is fixed, and an upstanding back member 7 which has a suitable check supply slot 7a formed on one side thereof.

A rack embodying my invention and made from any suitable material such as formed wire is illustrated. The rack has a bottom 8, ends 9, a back 10 and front portions 11. The front portions 11 are offset rearwardly to provide a recessed front portion 13 with inner end portions 12 interconnecting the outer ends of portion 13 and the inner ends of front portions 11. The recess thus provided is of a size to closely receive and surround the rear portion of the check writing stand top 5.

Suitable means for supporting the rack on the check writing stand are provided which include the hooks 14 secured to the recessed front portion 13 in spaced-apart relation. The hooks are designed to receive the upstand ing back member 7 of the check writing stand and the recessed front portion 13 is designed to engage the back side of said upstanding member 7 to combine with the hooks 14 to provide the sole means for supporting the rack thereon.

A reinforcing member 13a extends across the upstand' ing wires of the recessed front portion 13 adjacent the 3,088,598 Patented May 7, 1963 lower portions thereof and is rigidly fixed thereto as by welding or some other suitable attachment means and actually forms the abutting element which engages the lower rear surface of the upstanding back member 7, as is best shown in FIG. 1. This abutting element 13a provides the fulcrum for supporting the entire rack and combines with the hooks 14 to provide a rigid positive support for the rack on the check writing stand, while still permitting the rack to be quickly and easily removed for efiicient servicing.

It is apparent that the merchandise being displayed in the portion of the rack disposed rearwardly of the recessed front portion 13 will produce a bending moment about the abutting element 13a, and the rear portion of the rack will be cantilevered from the base portion of the rack bottom. The recessed front portion 13 is approximately half way between the rear 10 of the rack and the front portions 11 thereof so that the forwardly extending portions 15 will counterbalance the rear end portions 16 with respect to the bending moment about the abutting element 13a. This means that the only bending moment applied to the hooks and rack bottom will be produced by the weight of the merchandise displayed by the central rear portion of the rack designated by the numeral 17 and positioned between rearwardly extending planes from the side portions 12. This balancing relationship produced by the forwardly disposed portions 15 of the rack Will permit a lighter weight and less expensive rack to be produced while still providing the necessary support and rigidity along with the ease of replacement.

Display cards may be inserted in the small panels 18 mounted on the front portions 11 of the rack and also behind the retaining elements 19 which are unattached from the rear portion 10 except at the corners to provide retaining clips for a display card.

It will be seen that I have provided a relatively simple yet highly efficient merchandise display rack particularly adapted to be mounted on a specific type of check writing stand and which is capable of being easily and inexpensively produced.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangements and proportion of parts Without departing from the scope of my invention, which generally stated consists in the matter set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a supporting stand having a generally flat top panel and an upstanding back portion, a merchandise display rack having a bottom, upstanding back and end portions, a pair of spaced apart front portions, a recessed front portion spaced inwardly from said spaced apart front portions, and a pair of inner end portions spaced inwardly from said first-mentioned end portions and interconnecting the outer ends of the recessed front portion and the inner ends of the respective spaced apart front portion, a pair of supporting hooks connected to the recessed front portion and receiving the upstanding back of said stand for providing the sole vertical support for said rack, the weight of the merchandise in the forwardly extending display areas counterbalancing at least a substantial portion of the weight of the merchandise disposed across the rear of the rack to produce a minimum of cantilever support required for the unit.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1, and said recessed front portion having an. abutment member in close association to the bottom thereof for engaging the lower portion 'of' the upstanding back'memb'ei of said stand to form a fulcrum about which the bending moment produced by the weight of the merchandise being displayed acts, said hooks being substantially U-shaped to surround the upper portions of said upstanding back member of the stand and provided the support to resist the bending moment produced by said merchandise References Cited in the file of this patent U TED. STATES. P TENTS,

Harding Apr. 20, 1915 Wolfe Nov. 25, 1941 Pfeiffer Apr. 21, 1953 Bazarnic Apr. 28, 1953 Slavsky Apr. 22, 1958 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A SUPPORTING STAND HAVING A GENERALLY FLAT TOP PANEL AND AN UPSTANDING BACK PORTION, A MERCHANDISE DISPLAY RACK HAVING A BOTTOM, UPSTANDING BACK AND END PORTIONS, A PAIR OF SPACED APART FRONT PORTIONS, A RECESSED FRONT PORTION SPACED INWARDLY FROM SAID SPACED APART FRONT PORTIONS, AND A PAIR OF INNER END PORTIONS SPACED INWARDLY FROM SAID FIRST-MENTIONED END PORTIONS AND INTERCONNECTING THE OUTER ENDS OF THE RECESSED FRONT PORTION AND THE INNER ENDS OF THE RESPECTIVE SPACED APART FRONT PORTION, A PAIR OF SUPPORTING HOOKS CONNECTED TO THE RECESSED FRONT POSITION AND RECEIVING THE UPSTANDING BACK OF SAID STAND FOR PROVIDING THE SOLE VERTICAL SUPPORT FOR SAID RACK, THE WEIGHT OF THE MERCHANDISE IN THE FORWARDLY EXTENDING DISPLAY AREAS COUNTERBALANCING AT LEAST A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE WEIGHT OF THE MERCHANDISE DISPOSED ACROSS THE REAR OF THE RACK TO PRODUCE A MINIMUM OF CANTILEVER SUPPORT REQUIRED FOR THE UNIT. 